Who Knew?
by MadHope
Summary: Not related to my one-shot, Suspicions. Slash, don't like, don't read! Dil has always been unique-everyone knows this. But when a new boy comes into town, he just might realize there's something else different that even he didn't know. Luckily, this boy's here to help him understand. Rated T, because... Just watch for the rating, haha. Hope you like it, Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey-hey! Sooooo I wrote a one-shot with Dil, and I liked it but there still aren't many about him being gay... And I think it'd be really cute if he was ^^ So here it is! I decided to write a fic myself :) I hope you guys like it! This is my first slash fic (other than the one-shot), sooo... yeah! Hope you guys like it! Suggestions and things are always welcome :)**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Dil walked down the hallway slowly, his legs kicking straight out jerkily without the use of his knees. Despite the weird looks he was given, Dil had a small, complacent smile on his lips, his strange striped hat sitting comfortably on his mop of curly red hair. He continued like this down the hallway, tossing a 'hi' to Phil and Lil as he passed on the way to his first period class. He passed Angelica, also, who snorted at him.

"What in the world are you doing, Pickle?"

"Acting like a robot," Dil said cheerily, "I think it'll increase the chances of alien life forms picking me up when they come to Earth if they think I'm a man-made machine created to combat their alien technology." Angelica snorted again before walked off, flicking her hair. Dil continued on, smiling, and made it to his first period class, taking his seat in the front. If it was his choice, he would have preferred the back, but his teacher had realized near the beginning of the year that it was more likely for him to throw paper airplanes labeled 'Motherboard' and smaller ones as 'Motherboard's Army' if he was somewhere he couldn't be seen at all times.

Dil threw himself into the seat and dug out his pencil, ready to begin trying to balance it on the end of his nose by the eraser—one of his favorite pastimes and one he'd almost succeeded in. He was focusing on this so intently that he barely registered the teacher talking, and didn't hear them announcing a new student.

His eyes were crossed, focusing on the tip of the pencil, his tongue curled slightly in concentration, when he saw a blur of black. Dil was often good at multitasking—a talent his parents often commended him for, and others just shook their heads in disbelief at—but this time, as Dil's eyes settled on the person before him, the pencil tipped off his nose, forgotten, and clattered off his desk and to the ground.

It was a boy a little taller than him with dark, jet black hair and navy green eyes. His nose turned upwards slightly and his skin was pale, a sharp contrast with his hair and relatively dark clothing. As Dil watched, more stared, the boy's eyes flickered to him and Dil swallowed, though he didn't know why. The teacher apparently said something, because the boy shifted the bag on his shoulder and moved to take a seat directly next to Dil. All this time, Dil stared, unaware of what was happening until suddenly he was cross-eyed again, staring at the pink eraser of his pencil.

"Here." The other boy watched him expressionlessly, and finally Dil snapped out of it, grinning and taking the pencil back.

"Oh, thanks! So, you're new?" The boy raised an eyebrow at him, glancing him over as if wondering whether or not to answer, before nodding. Dil's grin widened and he stuck the pencil behind his ear before holding out his hand.

"I'm Dil Pickles! Nice to meet you!" The boy quirked an eyebrow at him again, Dil guessed in amusement, before grasping Dil's hand in his rough one.

"Barnard Colley." Dil grinned, shaking his hand before grabbing his pencil from behind his ear, ready to start balancing it again. After a moment a thought hit him and he jumped, earning a glance from the boy next to him.

"Hey! Can I call you Barnie?"

Dil went throughout most of the day hoping for lunch, and when it came, he all but ran to the cafeteria. As he stood in the lunch line, scanning for some of his favorite foods, his thoughts drifted back to that boy from his class, Barnard, or Barnie, as Dil liked.

He'd been on Dil's mind for most of the day, actually, which was weird; Dil was known for his ADHD and constant change of thought-process. But no matter what he seemed to think about, he couldn't get that other boy out of his mind. Dil frowned as he pulled away from the lunch line, absentmindedly strolling between the tables, getting weird looks he didn't register.

Maybe it was because he was so mysterious.

Dil jumped, a grin coming to his face that startled any onlooker who hadn't heard his thoughts. That was it! Barnard was so quiet and closed off, Dil was curious! Maybe he was an alien of some sort on a recon mission, here to scope out for likely candidates for scientific observation. Dil was thrilled at the thought. Suddenly there was a burst of laughter at a nearby table, and he was jogged out of his thoughts. Glancing around, he almost immediately spotted a mop of black hair and grinned, immediately strutting over.

Barnard lifted his head from a book he was reading as Dil sat across from him, raising an eyebrow at the boy's smiling face.

"Hey there, Barnie!" Dil greeted, grabbing his plastic fork and spinning it between his fingers like a drum stick. Barnard watched this for a second before his green eyes turned back to Dil, who found himself unable to look away from those eyes.

"Pickles." Dil laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, but you can just call me Dil." The corner of Barnard's mouth flickered up again, for some reason drawing Dil's attention to his lip. _Nice mouth,_ Dil thought, surprising himself. He almost laughed. How could a mouth be nice?

"So, how do you like it here?" Barnard shrugged, looking back down at his plate as he pushed around his untouched food with a fork.

"Fine, I guess." Dil tilted his head, pausing a moment in his twirling of the fork.

"You don't talk a lot." He leaned forward over the table, and Barnard simply watched with a high eyebrow as Dil stopped a few inches away, his eyes scrutinizing, "Are you an alien?" Surprise lit up in Barnard's eyes, and the corner of his mouth curled upwards, in an almost-smile.

"Am I a what?" His voice held no emotion, but from years of experience, Dil could tell when someone was laughing at him; only this time, he was doing it with his eyes. Unperturbed, Dil pushed on.

"An alien," he urged excitedly, his brown eyes lighting up, "You know, like from outer-space?"

"And why would you think I'm an alien?" Dil shrugged, leaning back slightly, though leaving his elbows on the table.

"I don't know. You don't talk a lot, so I figured you might be withholding information. You know, like you're on a recon mission or something and aren't supposed to make friends with the enemies." Barnard shook his head, eyes still shining with amusement.

"Sorry to spoil it, but I'm not an alien." Dil huffed, leaning back.

"Figures…" Just then his eyes lit up and he turned back to the black haired boy with another smile, "Hey, but that means we can be friends now, right?" Barnard's lips quirked.

"It seems that way." Dil's smile grew.

"Cool! So Barnie, what do you think of intergalactic space travel…?"

* * *

Chuckie's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Hey, Tommy?" Said teen pulled away from the current conversation and smiled at his best friend.

"Hmm? What is it, Chuckie?" The red head shook his head, still frowning.

"Who's that kid your brother's talking to?" Tommy turned, as did most at the table, and looked behind him where his brother was currently sitting. He had his knees on the bench and his eyes were lit up as he talked, no doubt about aliens or something of the sort. Across from him was a boy Tommy had never seen before, who didn't seem to be talking at all, watching Dil with what seemed like a bored expression. Tommy turned back to the rest of the table to exchange confused glances.

"Huh, I don't know, I've never seen him before. Kimi?" Kimi herself shrugged, poking at her food.

"I think he's a new kid, he was in one of my classes today, I think," she said, frowning to remember, "He doesn't talk very much."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to be talking at all to Dil, even though he's sitting with 'im," Phil added before stuffing a large spoon full of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Lil grimaced at her brother's manners, or lack there of, and turned to Tommy.

"How does your brother know him?" Tommy shrugged.

"He was in one of his classes, I guess." Tommy didn't want to dig too much into his little brother's life, but he worried about him; Dil didn't have a lot of friends his own age due to his… uniqueness, and the only friends he had out of his grade were Tommy's friends.

"Maybe he has a crush on him," Phil suddenly announced, bringing Tommy out of his thoughts. Chuckie chuckled as Kimi rolled her eyes, and Tommy shook his head.

"Dil's not gay, Phil." Phil raised an eyebrow, swallowing a mouthful of food before brandishing a plastic spoon at him.

"Oh yeah? When's the last time you've seen him with the girl? Heck, when was the _first_ time you've ever seen him with a girl?" Phil shrugged, digging back into his food as Tommy frowned, "I'm just saying, it's a possibility." Lil rolled her eyes.

"You're just being stupid, Phil. There's no way Dil's gay. I mean…" The conversation became muted as Tommy delved into his own thoughts, a frown on his face. When _was_ the last time Dil had ever had a girl over, or had talked to a girl that wasn't Lil, Kimi, or Angelica? But there was nothing really to hint that Dil _didn't_ like girls, other than the lack of them.

Dil just didn't have a lot of girls that were friends, that was all. Right? Chuckie elbowed him and Tommy jumped, trying to pay attention to his friend's conversation, but there was still something gnawing at the back of his mind, confusing him. _Was Dil gay or straight?_

* * *

Dil grinned at the other boy. It was the end of school, and he had been waiting for Tommy outside when he'd found Barnard sitting on the curb, reading a book. Dil plopped down next to the boy, a smile still on his face, received with a raised eyebrow.

"You know, you really need to teach me to do that sometime, it's really cool." Barnard frowned at him slightly.

"Do what?"

"That eyebrow thing, you know… There! You just did it! That!" Dil grinned.

"You should totally teach me how to do that some time."

"I don't think it's something you can learn," Barnard said shortly. Dil smiled.

"Ah, that's alright! I know you can teach me, right?" Dil slapped Barnard on the back, noticing the heat radiating from under the jacket, as the black haired boy gave him a questioning look. Dil grinned.

"You know what, I like you! You're weird." Barnard cocked an eyebrow in a way that Dil automatically interpreted as, _You're calling _me _weird?_

"We should hang out sometime," he announced, somewhat reluctantly taking his hand from the other boy's back. Barnard shrugged in agreement, and Dil grinned again.

"Cool! Hey, you know that smoothie place down the street?" Barnard nodded, "Awesome! My brother's friend's parents work there. You should totally come by sometime." Barnard shrugged.

"Ok." Dil's grin widened impossible.

"Awesome! So—"

"Hey, Dil!" Both boys turned to see Tommy standing at the end of the walkway, waving towards them. Dil waved back before turning back to Barnard.

"That's my brother, so I gotta go. See ya later!" Barnard nodded as Dil stood, grabbing his things and running over to his brother. Tommy watched as Dil stopped a few feet from him, a large smile on his face. Back where he'd been before, the boy with black hair watched a minute before catching Tommy's eye. They held each other's gazes for a minute before Tommy nodded a bit, and Barnard raised an eyebrow before nodding and returning to the book in his hands.

"So, you comin' or what?" Dil called, oblivious to the stare down that had just happened. Tommy smiled before jogging to catch up with his brother.

"Yeah, yeah. So…" Tommy hesitated a moment, glancing at Dil, "Who was that guy?" Dil blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh, you mean Barnie?" Tommy smirked a bit.

"Barnie?"

"Yep," Dil stated, grinning, "His name's Barnard, but he said I could call him Barnie. Well, he didn't say I couldn't."

"Uh huh," Tommy conceded, "Where'd you meet him"? Dil shrugged, shifting the bag on his shoulder.

"He was in my first period class. I though he was an alien." Tommy laughed, shaking his head.

"Of course you did."

"Hey!" Dil began protesting, "It's not my fault! I thought since he was so quiet he was on a recon mission or something to scope out the enemy without becoming too close!"

"Well, you two seemed pretty close," Tommy hinted a bit, his mind reeling back to what Phil had said at lunch. Dil shrugged, smiling again.

"Yeah, well, turns out he's not an alien, he's just weird." Tommy smiled a bit at the irony, and Dil caught it.

"Yeah, like me, I know!" He stuck his tongue out, and Tommy laughed, feeling relieved a little.

"So, you guys are friends now?"

"Yep," Dil said again, this time popping the 'p', "I told him to come to the smoothie place, but I don't know if he will." Tommy smiled.

"I'm sure he will." Dil hummed and they settled into a rare silence. Tommy relaxed a bit; Phil probably was just being an idiot. After all, this was the first friend Dil had made on his own. He needed friends, so of course Tommy wouldn't question him about it just because something stupid one of his friends said; no one really tended to listen to Phil, anyway.

Something, though, still dug at the back of Tommy's mind when he thought back to that boy and the look on Dil's face when he'd been talking to him. He'd been so happy… Tommy shook his head, glancing at Dil, who was smiling for some unknown reason (probably his own thoughts). Dil was always happy. Tommy sighed inaudibly. Whatever happened, all he could do was sit back and let Dil figure it out for himself. _Though_, Tommy thought, giving another glance at his brother, _I'm not too sure if Dil could figure anything like that out by himself._

* * *

**Yayyy ^^ Sooo I hope you liked it :) I love Dil... :D But yeah! So, is Dil gay? What's with this new kid? What will Tommy do or think? Hmm... welll... I hope you liked it, again, reviews and suggestions and things are always welcome ^^ Anyways, stay tuned for more, see you byes!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there again! Soooooooooo... last time we met Barnard, or Barnie, and Tommy's friends were questioning Dil's sexuality since he hadn't been around girls a lot. This time, ... Well, you'll see, I don't want to give it away :) More to be happening soon... Hope you like it!**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Dil sat at a small table in Java Lava with Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, balancing a straw on his nose while they talked.

"Hey Dil, didn't you say you were meeting someone?" Dil didn't look away from the top of the straw, his tongue curled and eyebrows furrowed.

"Uh huh."

"Well, do you think he's gonna come?"

"Maybe."

"Is that him?" Dil let out an exasperated sigh.

"Phil, will you quit ruining my concentration—oh!" Dil suddenly jumped, and the straw flipped off his nose. Before it could hit the ground, however, a pale hand snatched it out of the air, and Dil's eyes wandered up to see a dark, curved eyebrow.

"You're going to poke your eye out if you keep doing that," Barnard told him, holding out the straw. Dil laughed and took it back, shaking his head.

"Nah, I'm an expert! You should see me balance a fork and spoon on top of my nose." The corner of Barnard's lips twitched.

"Hmm. Maybe you should show me sometime." Dil's grin widened.

"Totally!" Just then there was a purposeful cough, and Dil yanked his attention away from those green eyes to look at the others, who he'd forgotten were there.

"Oh yeah! Barnie, this is Phil, Lil, and Chuckie. Guys, this is Barnie." Barnie nodded a bit and sat when Dil offered the chair next to him.

"Barnie?" Phil chuckled a little, earning an elbow to the ribs from Lil. Barnard shrugged, and Dil answered for him.

"Well, his name's Barnard, but I prefer to call him Barnie."

"So, Barnie, how do you like the school so far?" Chuckie asked, swirling his straw in his drink. Barnard shrugged.

"It's ok, I guess."

"What was your old school like?" Lil asked interestedly, leaning her elbow on her table and placing her head in her palm. Barnard shrugged again.

"A lot like this one, I guess. Except I don't think there was anyone there who believed in aliens." With this he gave an amused look to Dil, who took it as if to mean he wasn't actually making fun of him. The others, including Dil, laughed.

"Yeah, well Dil's one of a kind," Lil told him. Phil snorted.

"Yeah, you definitely won't find another one like him around." Dil stood and bowed.

"Oh really guys, you're way too kind. Your majesty is humbled by your praise." Chuckie shook his head with a smile while Phil and Lil laughed. Barnard watched him, his lips turning upwards in that one corner that Dil had decided he liked for some reason. Dil sat back down and the others continued asking Barnard questions, Dil cutting in every so often to ask something or comment when Barnard didn't say anything. While they talked, Dil found himself observing the boy beside him more and more, especially when the boy decided to take his jacket off and sling it on the back of his chair.

Barnard wore a gray t-shirt that was slightly tight around his body, and Dil noticed he was pretty slender, though it was clear he had a bit of muscle, and his hips drew attention downwards to his baggy camouflage pants.

Dil shook his head slightly and turned away, wondering briefly why he was noticing all of these things. He had the same type of body, right? In response to this thought, Dil looked down and started poking his stomach. Barnard was first to notice, and up went the eyebrow.

"Er, Dil?" Lil called, "What're you doing?" Dil looked up in surprise to see everyone looking at him. Dil pouted a bit, poking his stomach again.

"Do you guys think I'm fat?" There was a moment of silence, and then Chuckie snorted, his drink dribbling out of his nose, and Phil fell off his chair laughing. Barnie kept his eyes on Dil.

"Why would you think you're fat?" Dil met his green eyes and shrugged.

"Well, you're so skinny and stuff, I think I might be bigger than you, but you're taller than me!" Barnie rolled his eyes, though his eyes glistened in amusement.

"Barely." Dil hit a fist on the table, though not hard enough for anyone to think he was actually mad.

"I'm serious! You're way taller than me, and I'm a fatty compared to you! When the aliens come down, they'll take you as some kind of tall god and I'll be stuffed like a pig for the 'Welcome Oh-Tall Earthling' dinner!" Lil shook her head.

"Why don't you guys just stand up and see?" Dil jumped up.

"Great idea!" Barnie let out a sigh, though he had a small half-smile, and stood slowly.

"Now move closer together, and we'll tell you who's taller," Phil announced. Barnie took a step closer, to where the toes of his shoes barely nudged Dil's. Dil suddenly blinked as he could feel warm breath fanning his face, and he looked up to meet those navy green eyes, that stared right back at him, their noses almost touching at the proximity. Dil didn't even notice how quiet it was as he stared and stuttered a bit.

"Whoa…"

"What?" The question brushed his lips, and Dil had to actually try to keep his eyes open.

"Dude… your eyes are really pretty." Instead of the eyebrow like he'd expected, Barnie scrutinized him a little. Once his eyes pulled from Dil's, Dil immediately snapped out of it and turned to the other three, who were all gaping at him for some reason.

"So? Who's taller?" They all continued to stare, Lil's face slightly pink, Chuckie not bothering to adjust his askew glasses, and some of Phil's drink dripping from the corner of his mouth. Dil felt the heat that was radiating near his body suddenly pull away and he turned to see Barnard had stepped away. Dil shook his head hopelessly.

"You can never trust the peasants to do anything around here." Ah, there was the quirk in the eyebrow.

* * *

"You should have seen it Tommy, I swear!"

"I actually agree with Phillip this time, you should have been there! He was totally flirting with him!"

Tommy waved his hands, stopping the conversation with his friends. They were in the back of Java Lava, Phil, Lil, and Chuckie immediately coming in as soon as Barnard had left, leaving Dil to practice balancing more than two cups on top of his head.

"Slow down, guys," Tommy ordered lightly, "Now, what exactly happened?"

"Well, Barnard came in and they started talking," Phil started, cut off by Lil.

"And then Barnard took off his jacket and Dil was _totally_ checking him out, Tommy—"

"Yeah, and then Dil called himself fat because Barnie was so tall or something like that—"

"That's not right, Phillip—"

"Whatever, Lillian!"

"Anyway," Chuckie jumped in, "They stood up to see who was taller and they got really close, and…" Chuckie trailed off, beginning to fidget.

"…and then Dil totally hit on him and said he had pretty eyes!" Lil finished, breathing heavily as they all stared at Tommy expectantly. Tommy frowned and shifted.

"Well," he started, "You know, Dil's always been weird… Maybe he just liked his shirt or something…"

"_And_ his pants?" Lil hinted, and Tommy blushed slightly at the implication before shrugging it off.

"Well, yeah. Maybe he just likes the way he dresses. And you know how honest Dil can be, when something comes to his mind, he just… says it. Maybe the guy did have pretty eyes." Lil groaned and Phil shook his head.

"Come on, just admit there might be a possibility!" Tommy shook his head, moving to clean some more of the dishes; he'd broken one a week ago, and was paying for it by helping out in the kitchen every so often.

"Come on guys," he pleaded, picking up a glass and beginning to wash it out, "even if there was a possibility, I don't want any rumors to be started about my brother. Everyone thinks he's different already, I mean… This Barnie guy might be the first real friend he's made… ever. I just don't want to scare that guy away because everyone suddenly thinks Dil's gay and has a crush on him." Phil sighed and Lil placed a hand on Tommy's arm, gaining his attention.

"No one's going to tell anyone, Tommy," she promised as the other two nodded behind her, "We're just… curious. And worried. You know we all think of Dil as our little brother." Tommy sighed.

"I know, guys, thanks for that, really. But… even if Dil is… He's got to find out for himself," he finished, "I mean, we can keep an eye on him of course, because I don't want to see him get hurt, but he has to do things for himself." Chuckie nodded.

"Alright, Tommy." Said boy grinned.

"Thanks guys. Now… you wanna help me with some of these dishes?" Lil suddenly checked her watch and put a hand to her face.

"Oh, look at the time, I've gotta go!" she announced, swiftly turning and leaving.

"Lil—" Phil raised an empty wrist and followed the same motions.

"Oh, look at that, I do, too!"

"Phil, you're not even wearing a watch—" Phil tossed a wave out the door as he disappeared behind it. Tommy sighed and turned to Chuckie, who was shifting awkwardly.

"Go ahead, Chuckie, I can finish this by myself." Chuckie clapped him on the back and shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry, Tommy. I'll see you later." Tommy waved him off and Chuckie disappeared, leaving him alone in the kitchen. He glanced around the room and sighed, picking up a scrub brush and some heavy-duty soap. This was going to take a _long_ time.

* * *

**Soooooooooo...? Hope ya liked it! So, is Dil really gay? What about Barnard? What will Tommy or his friends do? More to come... Keep uptodate! See you later,,,,,,,, review and stuffs... BYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there again! So... I'm basically awesome. Haha just kidding, but yeah! Another chapter just a day after! OH MY GOSH THAT RHYMED *_* ... I'm tired. Anyhowsers, before ya go on readin' this story, I'd like a take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how this person Ballet wrote a story... BelAire. That's all I got. ANYWAY, back on topic! Do any of you like the _Mortal Instruments _series? If so, I've got the story for you! It's written by Ballet Shinigami, who you can go ahead and type into the search box-do it, people!- or click on her name in front of the lovely reviews she's given me :) The story is called Misguided Feelings, and I urge you to check it out! Go ahead, do it! ...well, after you read this of course ;) Alright then... That's enough talking for one day. ON TO THE STORY!**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Dil strutted down the hallway smiling, a slight, literal hop in his step. He'd had a surprisingly good time yesterday, and for some reason he was more excited to get to first period than he usually was. He thought of Barnard and grinned. Even though he didn't talk a lot, he was entertaining in his own, quiet way, and he was the first one not to immediately call him weird and walk away when Dil tried to talk to him.

Dil was almost to class when someone popped up beside him and bumped into his shoulder.

"Hey there, Dil!" Dil flinched a bit at the sudden yell in his ear before turning to the girl beside him. She was a girl in his grade that he barely remembered, with short brown hair in pigtails and big brown eyes. Dil smiled a little.

"Oh, hey there, uh…"

"Mari," she answered for him, grinning. Dil returned it.

"Right, right! You're in my…"

"Math," she giggled. Dil rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh yeah! I remember now!"

"Yeah," she giggled again, before twirling a piece of her hair, "So… um… where are you going?" Dil shrugged.

"Just to first period. I think it's History, but I can never remember." Mari giggled.

"You're so silly, Dil!"

"Oh, ha ha, that's me!" Dil reached the door way of his class and halted, turning to Mari with a polite smile.

"Well, this is my class, so… uh, bye." Mari waved, a large grin on her face.

"Bye Dil!" Said red head flinched, and rubbed his ear as she disappeared into the crowded hallway.

"Man, that girl has lungs," he muttered a bit as he slowly pivoted into the class. Dil grinned to see Barnard already in his seat, head buried in his book. He skipped over and tossed his bag down, tossing himself into his seat facing Barnard.

"Hey there, Barnie! How's it going?" Barnie lifted his head from his book, placing a piece of paper in it and closing it.

"Fine, I guess. Who was that?" Dil blinked in confusion, before suddenly remembering.

"Oh, you mean that girl?" Barnie nodded, and Dil scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I'm not really sure. Her name's Mari, and she's in one of my classes, but I've never talked to her before. She just suddenly… popped up." Barnie raised an eyebrow.

"So you don't like her?" Dil blinked again before grinning.

"Well, I don't really know her, so I'd say I like you a lot better!" Dil laughed at this, oblivious to what he just said, while Barnie observed him before half-smiling. Dil couldn't exactly determine what it meant before the teacher gave him an appointed glare for talking, and Dil bid the teacher to continue, earning several snickers from the class and yet another glare from the teacher.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Barnie give another half smile and shake his head, and Dil allowed himself a proud smile before turning to the front to pretend he was paying the slightest bit attention.

* * *

At lunch, Dil grabbed his food and immediately headed towards the table he remembered Barnie sitting at yesterday. Halfway to his destination, though, he was intercepted by none other than Mari, who smiled brightly.

"Hey Dil! Where're you going?"

"Uh, just to my lunch table," he said, carefully moving around her.

"Oh… alright then. Well, I should go. Bye!"

"Ok, bye…" The girl disappeared once again, and Dil shook his head. How weird…

* * *

Lily suddenly gasped and grabbed Tommy's arm. He jumped and turned, giving her the opportunity to point in the direction she was looking.

"Look, Tommy! Dil's talking to someone!" Tommy snorted a bit.

"He talks to a lot of people Lil. He's probably explaining some alien spacecraft he saw or something." Phil followed Lil's finger and his eyes widened.

"No dude… it's a girl." Tommy's eyebrows shot up and he immediately turned. A few tables away, Dil stood in front of a pretty girl with brown hair, who was speaking to him. Dil answered with a shrug and began to walk past her, and she said something before walking off, Dil continuing on as if nothing had happened. Tommy turned to his friends, who all looked as surprised and confused as he felt.

"Dude… I think you're little brother just blew that girl off," Phil spoke. Tommy frowned.

"No, Dil wouldn't do something like that… He's too nice."

"Then why'd he just walk away?" Kimi probed, "She seemed pretty interested in him." Tommy shrugged.

"I don't know, Dil's kind of oblivious to that kind of stuff."

"Or maybe she's just not his type," Lil said meaningfully, only Tommy, Phil, and Chuckie hearing the underlying meaning. Tommy simply shook his head and the conversation moved on, and he only gave one glance over his shoulder before deciding to shove it to the back of his mind. Until later, that was.

* * *

"Greetings, Barnie-Earthling!" Barnie quirked an eyebrow, his book closing slowly. He pushed it to the side as Dil plopped down across from him, immediately digging into… whatever was on his plate.

"What is that? Barnard asked. Dil paused for a second, contemplating.

"Well… I don't really know…" Barnard scrunched up his nose a tiny bit, and Dil watched the small wrinkles on his nose for a moment before they disappeared.

"Maybe you should figure out what you get before you eat it, so you don't end up eating something radioactive." Dil laughed at this.

"Aww, but if I did that, I might not get superpowers!" An eyebrow lift, quirk of the lips. He had really full lips… They were light pink, Dil noted, and looked extremely soft. He wondered what they'd feel like…

"…thinking about aliens again?" Dil jolted from his thoughts, meeting those pretty, somehow knowing eyes, and away from the small smirk in his lips.

"Actually, I was trying to figure out some strategies for tonight," he lied easily with a grin. He wasn't sure why; he just knew he didn't want to tell Barnard that he'd been staring at his lips.

"For?" Dil grinned.

"Laser tag! I'm on a league, but tonight it's gonna be me, my brother, and his friends just having fun. Hey!" he almost shouted, gathering a few nearby people's attention before they dismissed it as "just being Dil", "You should come with us!" Barnard shrugged.

"I don't know. I've never played laser tag before." Dil's eyes widened so much, he almost looked like an alien himself.

"You… what?" Barnard raised an eyebrow a tiny bit.

"I've… never played laser tag?" Dil gaped at him before cackling, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward.

"Dude, what have you been doing with your life? That's it, I've decided! You're totally coming! Hey, and you can be on my team so I can teach you how it's done!" Barnard half smiled at the cocky grin on Dil's face.

"Alright. It's a deal." He held out his hand and Dil grasped it, once again noticing the other boy's rough fingers as he had the first time, though he still didn't know why.

"Awesome!"

* * *

Tommy sighed a bit, digging through his closet frivolously.

"Mom, have you seen my tennis shoe?" he called. His mother's voice came wading up the stairs.

"No, honey. Did you check your closet?"

"I am right now!" Tommy let out a frustrated huff before something collided with his head.

"Ouch!" He straightened, rubbing his head, and saw his shoe lying on the floor beside him. Dil chuckled a bit as his brother picked up the shoe, and Tommy sent him a light-hearted glare.

"Didn't have to throw it at me. Where'd you find it?" Dil shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning on the frame of the doorway.

"In the bathtub. You know, you leave your clothes in the weirdest places." Tommy scoffed.

"Yeah, right. What about you? One time Mom found a sleeping bag, a cassette player, and a bag full of your clothes on the roof."

"Hey, I was staging a stakeout on the full moon in case the aliens wanted to come down and listen to some music or take me up in their ship to dissect me!" Dil protested as Tommy rolled his eyes, smiling.

"So," Tommy started a bit more seriously as he bent down to tie his shoe, "Are you sure you don't want to invite anyone of your friends? You know it's just gonna be me and the crew. What about that girl you were talking with at lunch today?" Dil made a face.

"Oh, you saw that? Well, I don't really know her."

"Well, she seemed to want to know you," Tommy teased a bit with a smile. It went completely over Dil's head.

"What do you mean?" Tommy chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh nothing." Dil grinned.

"Besides, I already invited Barnie. He's never played laser tag before—can you believe that? The insanity—so he agreed to go. It's gonna be awesome!" Tommy's eyes widened as Dil wandered away, muttering something about his shoulder pads. That Barnard guy was coming? Tommy frowned a bit. Dil hadn't invited the girl… But then again, Tommy reasoned, he said he barely knew her. Still… Tommy shook his head, trying to get his friend's words out of his head; they really weren't helping. But there was some part of him that still—

"Hey! You comin' to get your butt kicked or do we have to leave ya here?" Tommy jumped at the shout from downstairs and raced out of his room.

"Yeah right, you're gonna eat laser!" There was a laugh in response, and as Tommy joked with his brother, he decided that for one night, he'd leave his thoughts behind him.

He didn't know then how hard it would be.

* * *

**Sooooooooooooooooo? Hope you liked it e'rybody! So Barnard and the gang are going to laser tag... Fun fun! :D Who is that Mari girl? Why does she keep talking to Dil? Uhh... too tired to think of more questions than that... so go ahead and hit that down there review button, an' go check out Ballet Shinigami's _Mortal Instruments_ fanfic Misguided Feelings! Go on, do it! See ya laterssssssssssss!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello... Well. This is one of my least popular stories... in case you haven't noticed. But you know what? That****'s alright. You know why? Because I LIKE IT. And a few people do, so ehh. Why the heck not? I'm the bomb and finished this chapter early, so decided to upload it :) Because I rock. And you know who else rocks? A certain author named Ballet Shinigami, who wrote a fanfiction for the _Mortal Instruments_ Series called Misguided Feelings, which you should check out. I did, because again, I'm awesome. And am extremely tired. So... That is all.  
**

**Oh, as an afterthought... please heed the T rating as of right... now!  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

They all met up inside the building, just outside the small dark arena. Dil and Tommy were the second the last ones to arrive, Barnard being the last. Once everyone was together, Phil grinned and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, let's do this!"

They all put of their gear, which consisted of vests with green lights in the middle, and Dil demonstrated by shooting his brother with the plastic gun that when one got out, the light turned red, and would stay like that for about thirty seconds before turning green again. After explaining all of the rules, they decided how to split up teams; Tommy leading Lil, Phil, and Chuckie while Dil lead Kimi and Barnard. Dil told them that since Barnard was new to the game, he should be with the 'expert', and the others argued that since Dil was the best at the game, Tommy's team should get the more players to even out the score.

That settled, they split up and jogged into the arena, whooping hollering. Tommy led his team to the left in the dark while Dil headed right. Once Dil reached the back wall, he turned to his team. All of the lights were off other than the faint glow from small strips of yellow lights that lined the walls, so he had to squint to see them.

"Alright team," he started, "We have one hour to kick these guys' butts to the ground! Are you ready?" Kimi cheered quietly as to not give away their position while Barnard smirked and agreed.

"Good! Now usually I'd have us split up and take them on all sides, get the surprise attack, but since Barnard's new to this game, I'll have him stay with me. Kimi, you go to the left and follow the wall down—shoot anyone you see, even if you can't see who it is; we don't want to take any chances." Kimi nodded in understanding, her eyes blazing with excitement, and Dil continued,

"Good. Barnard and I will follow the right side, also taking down whoever we see. Stay close to the sides, and try not to stray too far into the middle; it's hard to find a place to hide when you don't know which way's up. You guys ready?" Suddenly Dil paused, frowning. Kimi exchanged a confused glance with Barnard.

"Um, Dil?" she called, "Are you o—"

"Shh!" Dil held up a hand, pressing a finger from his other hand to his mouth. It was silent for a moment, and Dil's brow furrowed.

"Do you guys hear that…?" Kimi was about to respond when suddenly a yell broke through the air.

"Now!" Dil's eyes widened and he ducked just as a laser shot over his head.

"Surprise attack! Evasive maneuvers, now!" Dil shouted. Kimi jumped and ran off, disappearing around a corner to the left.

"Come on, newbie!" Dil shouted, and grabbed Barnard's wrist as he dragged him off to the right, his finger on the trigger of his gun. He almost reached a turn before pausing, holding up a hand for Barnard to stop. Slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted his gun and slid it around the corner, holding it steady. After a moment, Dil pulled the trigger. As desired, there was a loud beeping sound and a curse from Phil, and Dil grinned.

"Yes! One down, three to go!" Dil tugged Barnard after him, running along the corner of the wall, shooting at anything green and glowing that caught his eye. After a few minutes, Dil and Barnard rested against the wall, breathing heavily. Dil gave a grin to the boy beside him and nudged him.

"So, how are you liking your first laser-tag fight?" Barnard smiled a bit and nodded.

"I have to say, it's more fun than I expected." Dil's grin widened.

"Just wait 'till ya hit someone!" Barnard cocked an eyebrow, and Dil noticed he looked even more interesting in the low light than he did usually… wait, what?

"I don't think I could," Barnie spoke, pulling Dil away from his weird thoughts.

"Of course you can! All ya do is pull the trigger! Here…" Dil motioned for him back the way they're come, raising a finger to his lips. They moved a little ways down the wall, and soon they could hear muttering, and Dil put a hand on Barnie's chest before motioning him over.

"Alright, Phil's always the easiest to get," he whispered in his ear, "So just point, and pull the trigger. He probably won't even notice you; he just talks to himself about how unfair the sport is and stuff." Barnie raised an eyebrow but nodded. He switched places with Dil and peeked around the corner. Then he pulled back, took a deep breath, and turned around the corner completely, raising his plastic gun and pulling the trigger.

As expected, there was more beeping and a loud yell in protest, and Dil busted out laughing before covering his mouth and grabbing Barnie's wrist with the other hand, yanking him away. They ran along the wall, hearing others shuffle around, most likely looking for the source of the laugh, before finally stopping, and Dil bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily with a huge grin on his face. Finally he looked up at Barnard.

"See, now wasn't that fun?" Barnard smirked a bit.

"I never thought he'd yell that loud, since it would give away his position." Dil grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah, but Phil's always been a pretty bad player—even worse than Chuckie, because Chuckie's good at staying in corners without anybody noticing him. Then he pops up like a sea monster and shoots you when you least expect it!" Barnard's eyebrows rose at the analogy, but he nodded. It was quiet for a moment, and surprisingly, Barnard was the one to break it.

"I like this town a lot better than my old one." Dil looked at him in surprise, standing up.

"Really? What was wrong with your other one?" Barnard glanced around and sighed, as if regretting saying anything. Dil frowned at him.

"People just… don't exactly understand," he forced out after a while, making Dil's frown grow.

"What do you mean? What don't they understand?" Barnard hesitated, and Dil was about to say something when suddenly someone shouted through the dark, towards the middle of the arena. There were sounds of shuffling and yells and Dil grabbed Barnie's arm, immediately going into laser-mode.

"C'mon, let's check it out," he whispered, moving off the wall and more towards the center, "Kimi might need back up."

"Didn't you tell her to stay to the wall?" Dil scoffed.

"Please, like she actually listened to me." They moved further inward, keeping close to the small walls and listening to any small sounds that gave away the other's locations. Just then there were shouts and Kimi and Lil jumped out, shooting at each other. Lil surprisingly hit her first, and then turned to Dil with a grin.

"Oh no! Run, Barnie, run!" Dil pulled his shoe off and threw it, letting it smack hard right in the middle of Lil's face.

"Ow! Dil!" she shrieked, and Dil used the distraction to race back the way he'd come, dragging Barnie behind him. Angry footsteps and shouts started after them, and Dil pushed faster, swinging around a corner and charging down the aisle.

"I'm gonna get you, Dil, you cheater!"

_It's not cheating, it's using your resources! _Dil wanted to shout, but quickly decided against it when remembering the wrath of Lil. Eventually her footsteps faded and Dil slowed to a halt. Both he and Barnard bent over, heaving, and Dil gave him a grin and a thumbs up.

"Looks like we lost her!" Barnard was about to respond when suddenly he spotted something and his eyes widened. Dil followed his gaze and saw a flash of Lil with her gun aimed when suddenly something collided with him, knocking the breath out of his body. He and Barnard slammed to the floor and rolled down the long slope in the floor, a tangle of limbs. Finally they came to a halt, and Dil couldn't stop from busting out laughing. A rough hand covered his mouth and stifled his giggles.

Finally Dil opened his eyes, and the hand disappeared. Above him, inches from his face and breathing hot air on his lips, was Barnard. His green eyes were wide, as were Dil's, and he evaluated their position. Barnard lay completely on top of him, holding his head up just barely from colliding with Dil's by his elbows. Sometime during the fall, Dil had grabbed hold of the shoulders of Barnard's vest, and his legs were tangled with Barnard's. Suddenly it was extremely hot, with Barnie's heat pressed against him, his hot breath fanning his lips and causing them to tingle strangely.

Dil finally met his eyes again, and green orbs stared back at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't force any words to come out. Barnie shifted a tiny bit, sliding himself just barely so that their faces were even. Dil wanted to say his name, ask him what was happening, and why his heart had suddenly quickened, but again, he couldn't speak. His mouth was dry and he licked his lips, noticing Barnie's eyes were drawn to this action. He met his gaze again before Barnie leaned in slightly, their noses brushing, and Dil's breath caught. Barnie's eyes drifted shut a little, yet he hesitated, only a breath away. Dil's body practically trembled, waiting for… waiting for what? Finally Barnie seemed to make up his mind, and his thumb brushed against Dil's cheek beside his ear before he again leaned forward.

Just then the lights came on and both boys flinched at the sudden assault on their eyes.

"Ugh, dude," Dil groaned, blinking.

"Hey, Dil! I got Lil and—oh."

Dil caught sight of Kimi gaping, her face bright red in the new light, before pressure and heat suddenly lifted, and Dil sat up as Barnard lifted himself off of him, turning away and shoving his hands into his pockets. Dil blinked, but didn't have much time to recover before Lil barreled around the corner, coming to a halt to glare at him. Her nose was a deep red, and the faint print of the bottom of Dil's shoe was stamped into her skin.

"Dil, you're gonna pay for that!" Dil blinked again.

"So… Did you bring me my shoe?" Lil growled and stomped towards him, but before she could reach him, Phil popped up around the corner, holding something in his hand.

"Hey… Did someone lose a shoe?" Dil grinned and reached out a hand.

"That's mine!" Lil snatched it out of Phil's hand and Dil protested, jumping up, which resulted in a game of keep-away. Eventually Tommy appeared and laughed.

"Guys, guys, cut it out. Come on, they need it open for the next people."

They all went back and returned their gear before filing out. They stood outside talking, and Dil was currently defending himself while the others snickered and Barnard smirked at him.

"Hey, I'll let you know that my early intergalactic experiments were purely for scientific reasons!" Barnard quirked an eyebrow.

"And what scientific reason did you have for running around your neighborhood in your underwear with a tin foil cap, exactly?" Everyone else cracked up as Dil blushed and scowled.

"Yeah, well I—" Just then there was a shout and the group of friends turned to see one other boy about their age but much bigger with one of his friends. The large boy fixed Barnard with a stare.

"Hey, I know you. You used to go to one of my friend's school," he started, then chuckled, "You're that fag boy they told me about!" Lil gasped and Kimi clenched her fists. The teen and his friends laughed and Tommy glared, stepping forward.

"Hey!" he shouted as they began walking away, laughing. He was about to shout again when a voice cut across his.

"Don't worry about it." Everyone turned to Barnard, who wouldn't meet any of their gazes. Tommy was about to protest, but the look on the boy's face made him pause.

"But Barnie, that guy—" Lil started, but Barnard shook his head and turned away.

"I'm used to it. Look… I have to go." With that Barnard jogged off, not glancing back. Dil stepped after him, but stopped. After a moment he turned back to the others, who all looked solemn, and frowned.

"Hey," Dil started, "Why did that guy call Barnie a cigar?"

* * *

**Sooooooooooo... Hope you liked it! ... Review. Review. Review. ! Just kidding :) But seriously guys. You're ruining my self confidence. So... If you DON'T want me to spiral into a self-pitying party eating gallons of ice cream (and I DO have gallons of it, waiting and ready) and loving on my cats, I suggest you make a small donation :) And hey, if you don't like it, tell me! Don't give a review out of pity! I'd rather have none than just a bunch of those . But yeah! I take critiquing, so hand it over! :P Alright, that's enough, I should go now... See ya laters,,,,,, and don't forget to check out Ballet Shinigami's story Misguided Feelings, byessssssssss!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Back again! :) Sooo... last time, they went to laser tag, and Dil and Barnie got in quite a predicament... ;) and also there was a mean guy who came by last minute and revealed a certain secret about Barnie in a not-so-nice way... How will Dil react? What will Barnard do now that everyone knows? I'm tired. I finished by book though :) Well it was actually a while ago, I just never mentioned it. But yeah. I thought I would mention it on here. Why? No clue. :D Anyhowsers... I hope you like it! and most other chapters are already written, so if you want a speedier update, you know what to do ;) Anyhows,,  
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**Enjoy!  
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Tommy sighed. He was alone in the kitchen in the middle of the night, and couldn't calm the thoughts swirling around in his mind. He'd been working late on a school project, but now he couldn't seem to go to sleep. Tommy took a sip of his water and moved towards the stairs, determined to try to go to sleep, anyway.

His thoughts were drawn back to just a few hours earlier, once the awesome night of laser-tag turned sour. He felt a surge of anger at the boy and his friend. How could he insult Barnard like that? He didn't even know him! Tommy shook his head. But now he knew that Barnard was gay.

Tommy didn't picture him any different than he had before, but what would Dil think? He obviously hadn't understood the meaning of the word 'fag', and no one had felt like clarifying it for him, but there was no doubt Dil would eventually realize it. And then what? That brought his mind back to his original thought process; was Dil interested in guys?

Tommy reached the top of the stairs and continued down the hallway slowly, running a hand through his hair. Just then he heard a murmur and he paused, looking up to realize he was just outside Dil's room. His door was ajar slightly, and Tommy leaned closer a bit.

"… Mm…. Barnie…" Tommy's face heated up. He was dreaming about him? He immediately tried to shake the thought out of his head, almost missing what Dil muttered next.

"Barnie… where's my space mushrooms? … And why is Chuckie's fifth arm purple?" Tommy chuckled and shook his head before moving past his brother's room towards his own, ready for sleep to finally claim him.

* * *

Dil woke up and lay in his bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling. He'd had the weirdest dream… Of course, he'd always had weird dreams that psychologist had long wondered at, but this one had been a bit… different than usual. There were still aliens, of course; they were on some orange planet, and Chuckie had several arms, Phil was spewing green space stuff, and his brother had a camera lens in place of his right eye. Barnard was there, too, looking the same besides slightly pointed ears, and they were hunting for blue space-mushrooms to feed the sick Mother Lord.

Something had been…. Off, though. They were simply talking when suddenly it started raining, and the two ran into a nearby cave. There Barnard took his mushrooms and put them in his bag before turning to look at him. This time, though, his eyes were darker, and Dil felt… weird.

He wasn't sure what the feeling was, but it wasn't completely uncomfortable or even a bit bad. It was a bit like yesterday, when Barnard had been up against him, his eyes dark as he stared at Dil's lips, and then the weird, pleasant feeling as Barnard leaned forward… There was a shout from outside his door that meant Tommy was rushing, and Dil's face flushed before he jumped out of bed.

Trying to push these weird thoughts and feelings out of his head, Dil hurried to get ready, hoping to maybe talk to Barnard about it later.

* * *

His plans were shot down, however, when he got to school. After a short run-in with that Mari girl again, Dil had marched into class to see the seat next to his empty. All of class period Dil sat, tapping his pencil nervously to the annoyance of many students and the teacher, expecting Barnard to come in late with some kind of excuse and wondering what he was doing that he wasn't there.

Dil thought about it all day, trying to think back to anything that Barnard had said that hinted at why he might not be at school the next day. For the life of him, Dil couldn't think of one good reason. They'd had plenty of fun at laser tag the other day, though Barnie had seemed pretty upset after those kids walked by…

To his surprise, at lunch time Dil found the object of his thoughts sitting at his usual table, head buried in a book. Dil immediately walked over and sat down across from him. It was silent for a while, and he simply stared until, finally, Barnard sighed and looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Hey man, why weren't you in first period? You didn't miss much, but still." Barnard sighed again and pushed his book to the side, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair. Dil almost smiled at this, as it made his dark black hair stick up in a few places, but not in the least unattractively.

"I just… wasn't sure you'd want to see me." Dil would have scoffed if he hadn't been frowning so much at the other boy.

"What in the world are you talking about? Why wouldn't I want to see you?" Barnard rubbed his tired-seeming eyes, still not meeting Dil's probing gaze.

"Just… after what happened with that guy yesterday, I thought… I thought you'd think it was weird." Dil suddenly laughed and Barnard looked up surprisingly.

"So you skipped first period because you thought I, Dil Pickles, alien extraordinaire, thought you were weird?" Barnard shook his head a bit, pushing around his food.

"Not… not me, specifically, maybe, but… What I am, you know…" Dil frowned until suddenly his face lit up, and Barnard braced himself.

"You mean, you're actually…" Dil started in disbelief, and the black haired boy flinched a bit, "…a cigar?" Barnard's head snapped, an incredulous look written on his face, and Dil burst out laughing. He clutched his sides as Barnie stared at him in utter confusion.

"You—you should see your f-face!" Dil choked out between laughs. Eventually his chuckles quieted down, and he grinned at Barnie's questioning brow.

"So, that guy… Did you know him? Why'd he call you a British cigar?" Barnard shook his head.

"No, but I'm pretty sure I've met the friend he mentioned. And… there are more uses for the word he called me than cigar." Dil's brows furrowed together.

"Really? Like what?" Barnie smirked at him and shook his head.

"You really don't know much, do you?"

"Hey!" Dil shouted, "I know plenty! I bet you don't know anyone who can calculate the exact arrival of the alien Mother-board ship that'll come take a lucky number of us for alien dissection and exploitation!" Barnard quirked an eyebrow.

"And you do?" Dil scratched the back of his neck.

"Well… not exactly. But I'm working on it!" Barnard shook his head, the corner of his mouth curling upwards. Dil was reminded of his dream, but suddenly, in the presence of the one his dream was about, he felt heat crawl up his neck even at the thought of mentioning it. What was going on? There were so many things that were happening… he felt weird, and had no explanation. Were aliens using his body to communicate? It had happened ever since he'd met Barnard. So… was Barnard an alien and he had just been lying before?

Somehow Dil doubted this, so his mind pushed on, and he continued his cheerful conversation with Barnie, smiling at every lip twitch and eyebrow quirk that came on the other boy's face.

* * *

Dil grinned. Somehow, he'd convinced Barnie to meet him after school later at night, and after some persuasion, they'd ended up here, lying in the grass in the park, staring up at the black, twinkling sky. The red head glanced at Barnie, who had a peaceful look on his face.

"So," Dil spoke, breaking the barrier of silence that had rarely set over them, "You never really explained the other meaning of that word." Barnard sighed, not turning his green eyes from the sky.

"It means… It means I'm gay." Dil frowned.

"You're happy? How does that—"

"No, no," Barnie cut in, smiling a little before it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, "Gay has another meaning too. It means… I like other guys. You know… romantically." Dil frowned for a few minutes, before his face lit up in realization and his mouth formed a perfect 'o'. Barnard sighed, waiting. What Dil said next wasn't exactly what he expected.

"So why'd that guy randomly say it? I mean, you know, so what's the point of telling you again?" Barnie shook his head.

"Well, fag is more of an insult towards being gay. It's hard to explain."

"Huh." It was silent for a moment, and Barnard glanced at the strange boy beside him, who was smiling complacently at the stars.

"So… you don't care? I mean, you're not worried that I'm gonna hit on you or anything?" Dil chuckled.

"'Course not. Hey, I'd be kind of offended if you didn't!" He laughed. Barnard looked him over for a minute.

"So what's going on with you and that girl you keep talking to? She seems to like you." Dil scrunched his nose a bit.

"I don't really know. She just randomly keeps popping up and talking to me."

"Don't you think she's pretty?" Dil shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess. I think you're prettier." Barnard quirked an eyebrow, although his face heated up a bit. Dil frowned.

"I've been saying weird stuff like that recently, and I don't know why," he muttered a bit. Barnard watched him.

"What do you mean?" Dil sighed, raising a hand to grab at the stars millions of miles away before letting it drop onto his stomach again.

"I don't know, I just… I keep saying weird things and thinking weird things. And you know, I'm all for weird, but this time I don't even get the method to my madness. I've started feeling weird, too. Mostly it's when you're around." Barnard lifted himself up and held his head up in his palm.

"Do you feel it around any girls?" Dil frowned.

"I don't think so. I've never really felt this way before. I mean… I get all hot, and weird-feeling, and…" Dil trailed off, his face hot; he didn't exactly want to explain all of the feelings he'd been having recently. Barnard observed him knowingly.

"Dil, are you gay or straight?" Dil looked at him in surprise. Then there was a pause.

"Uh… straight? I don't know, I've never really thought about it. I didn't know what gay meant until just a minute ago."

"Dil…" This caused the boy's head to turn, and his eyes caught those green orbs, "I think you might be gay." Dil was puzzled at this. For a few minutes of rarity, Dil Pickles was actually speechless. Barnard lay back, slipping his hands behind his head as he spoke quietly.

"You know, I get those feelings, too, when I'm around you." Dil's eyes widened, heat crawling up his neck.

"Y-You do?" Barnard didn't give a response, and Dil took a deep breath, trying to think. So… was he interested in boys? Dil hadn't ever really thought about it. He didn't have a lot of friends, he had realized that, but now Dil was realizing that because of that, he'd never had any relationships, either. What about that girl, Mari? Was he interested in her? Dil pictured her in his head. Sure, she was kind of pretty, but… There wasn't really that same kind of feeling. It wasn't near what he'd felt at laser tag with Barnard… Of course, he'd never been put in that situation with Mari. He frowned at the thought.

Barnard watched Dil carefully, seeing almost all the thoughts flit across his face. Finally he rolled and sat up, tapping Dil on the arm, who jumped and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Come on, you should probably get home. Your brother's probably waiting for you."

"Oh yeah!"

* * *

Together they walked back to the house, and Dil began talking about his favorite galaxies, although Barnie was pretty sure they were all made up. Eventually they stood on Dil's doorstep and he turned to the other boy with a grin.

"Well, that was fun! We should totally do it again, but next time, we'll take Tommy's video recorder and try to discover alien life!" Barnie smiled a bit and nodded, before suddenly it dropped and he stepped a little closer.

"You know, Dil," he began lowly, and Dil's heart quickened, "I am interested in you. Romantically, I mean…" Dil felt as if his chest had melted and flew into the sun at the same time. Barnie was suddenly so close that Dil's short-lived breaths fanned the bottom half of his face, and his green eyes bored into his.

"I can wait for you to figure it out, Dil," he said quietly, "I know what it's like. Just… try not to expect me to be completely patient." His hands were on his hips. Holy cow. Barnie's hot hands practically burned Dil's clothing on his hips, and Dil was extremely close to hyperventilating. His warm breath was directly beside Dil's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. This Barnard was a lot different from how he had acted before, though Dil couldn't say he particularly disliked it.

Suddenly the heat disappeared and Barnard stepped away, leaving Dil to breathe. Barnard nodded a bit, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"See you tomorrow?" Dil nodded, not being able to speak. Barnard smiled a bit before disappearing off into the night, and Dil slumped against the door. Holy fungus. He had _never_ felt that way before. Dil took a shuddering breath, his mind whirring so much as he turned towards the door that he didn't notice the drapes at the front window of the house quickly dropping shut.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUNNNNN! So... Barnard is gay! And he admittedly has feelings for Dil... How will this play out? Who was lurking in the window, and what will happen now that they know Barnard likes Dil? I hope you liked it! And if you liked it... please review! Yeah, I actually used please. Yeah. That's how much I want reviews. That doesn't happen a lot. So treasure it... treasure e.o Just kidding ^^ maybe. :D Well I'm tired, obviously, so that means it's sleepy time! Hope you liked it, please read and review byeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I know, I know... "Wow, already? She's awesome at updating!" Believe me... I know :) haha just kidding ^^ I already had this written and was going to wait a bit, but I just can't help myself ^^" soooo here it is! And guess what...? This is the second to last one! :D Yayyyyyy! We're almost done! :D Anyway, I hope you liked the last one, and I hope you like this one, too :) And BEWARE: THE T RATING FOR THIS ONE. No spoilers :) Well, that's all I can really think of... OH! Thank you all for the reviews! They make me oh so happy :3 you guys seriously rock :) Alright, enough sappy crap, onto the story!**

**Enjoy!  
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"Barnie likes my brother." Chuckie looked up from his drink to stare at his blue haired friend in surprise. It was after school and they both sat at Java Lava, the others all gone or busy.

"You really think so, Tommy?" Tommy shook his head.

"I know so! I heard him tell my brother!" Chuckie's eyes widened and he leaned forward.

"So? What'd he say?" Tommy shook his head, recalling last night.

"He didn't really say anything. He was kind of… in shock, I guess." Chuckie frowned a bit.

"So… Do you think that means he's not gay?" Tommy sighed.

"I don't know, Chuckie, I mean… Dil seems to like him, but… He doesn't really know anything about relationships, you know? I'm not even sure he knows what it means to be gay." Chuckie hummed a minute, swirling his drink.

"Well... I guess all you can do is wait and see," he said, shrugging and pushing his glasses up a bit. Tommy sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right… I just hope everything works out ok…"

* * *

Dil leaned back in his seat, eying the black haired boy across from him. They sat in Dil's kitchen, hanging out and talking. His dad was at work, his mom shopping, and Tommy was at Java Lava. The day had gone normally, and surprisingly, Barnie had agreed to come over, and they talked and laughed normally. Neither of them had brought up what happened, and Dil still wasn't sure what to think. The conversation drifted off a bit, and Barnard glanced at him.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Dil sighed and held his hands in his head, tugging lightly on his red hair.

"Honestly, I can't stop thinking about it. It's so confusing!" Barnie nodded.

"I know." Dil shook his head, still holding his head.

"I mean… I never thought about it before! I know my brother's straight, he's had a girlfriend before, and I just… figured that's how it was supposed to be, but I never really cared because I don't have any friends that are girls that I don't consider my sisters! And… and… ughh! It's so hard! How can you tell?" he exclaimed, jolting from his seat and moving to bash his head against the refrigerator. Barnie stood and grabbed his elbow. Dil stopped banging his head and peeked at Barnie, who watched him with understand and contemplating eyes.

"Dil… If you let me, I know how you can figure it out. If it's awkward, then you're not." Dil swallowed.

"And… if it's not?" Barnard didn't answer, and Dil took a deep breath.

"So?" Dil sighed and nodded a bit, turning completely towards Barnie. Suddenly Barnard's warm hand pressed against Dil's lower back, his other hand going to hold the back of Dil's head.

He squeaked as Barnard pulled him forward, their hips colliding. Barnard held lightly onto Dil's curly hair, leaning forward a bit. Dil gasped at the sudden proximity, grabbing hold of Barnie's shirt as once again he felt hot, minty breath on his lips.

* * *

Chuckie looked around.

"Hey, you wanna go back to your house?" He and Tommy were walking down the street aimlessly, having nowhere in particular to go. Tommy shook his head.

"Nah, there's nothing really to do there. Besides, my mom told me Angelica was coming by to talk to her about something."

"Oh." Once again they settled into silence.

* * *

Angela flicked her hair, a smirk on her lips.

"…and she was totally like, 'I had those shoes last year!' and I was like, 'Oh yeah, only in your dreams!' and she was like…" Suzie sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You know, this is _really_ interesting and all Angelica, but can we focus more on where we're actually going? You _do_ remember where your cousins live, right?" Angela scoffed and waved a hand airily.

"Of course I do, it's right up the street. I know what I'm doing." Suzie rolled her eyes.

"Sure you do…"

* * *

Dil's breath caught as Barnard's green eyes met his, as if asking for permission. He blinked and stuttered, but as he had been experiencing with Barnie, couldn't force himself to say anything. His lower back burned with Barnard's rough hand pressing there, and Dil was clinging to the front of his shirt for dear life. Like before at laser tag, Barnie's eyes drifted down to his lips, making Dil a bit self-conscious. Unlike before, though, there was no hesitating, and Barnie pressed his lips hard against Dil's.

Dil's eyes widened to the point he thought they might pop out. His lips were even softer than they looked. He was frozen, though, and Barnard moved his lips over the other boy's a bit. Dil's eyes drifted shut, and when Barnie moved to pull away, his grip on his shirt tightened and he pressed forward, keeping their lips locked.

Barnie's eyebrows shot up before he returned the pressure, moving his lips, and Dil caught on, tilting his head a bit. Barnard tangled his fingers into the other boy's hair, and Dil slid his arms around his neck, playing with the black locks at the nape of his neck. He'd _never_ felt like this before. His mind was full only of Barnard and what he was feeling, and how incredibly soft his lips were. Barnard caught Dil's bottom lip between his teeth and nibbled, and a noise was elicited from deep within Dil's throat that made him blush and Barnie repeat the action. Eventually they ran out of air and pulled apart, though not releasing each other.

They both breathed heavily, staring at each other, and Dil felt heat creeping up his neck. Barnard's navy green eyes probed him, asking carefully. Dil opened his mouth, hoping he would be able to actually speak this time, when suddenly there was a loud shriek.

* * *

Suzie shook her head as Angela fiddled with the lock on the front door. They'd found the Pickles' house, but the driveway was empty, and no one was responding to their knocks.

"Angela, you can't just break into people's houses. They're probably busy, or just not home. Can't you wait until later?" Angela scoffed.

"Angela Pickles doesn't wait for anything." Suzie sighed and rolled her eyes. In this action, she caught sight of something, and reached over Angelica's head. Her fingers traced the top of the door jam before grazing over something cool and metallic, and Suzie grasped it. She coughed purposefully and Angela turned as Suzie held up the key, a hand on her hip.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Angela smirked and snatched the key.

"Yeah, yeah, I saw it first." They unlocked and entered the house quietly, and it almost seemed empty. Suzie caught sight of a school bag she recognized as Dil's, though, and frowned. Was he home? If he was, then why hadn't he answered the door?

"I'm hungry," Angela muttered, and before Suzie could stop her, she was off towards the kitchen. Suzie followed her quickly through the door and almost bumped into the girl's back. Before Suzie could start muttering and asking what was the big deal, she followed Angela's shocked, petrified look, and once she caught sight of what had stopped her friend, her own eyebrows shot up her forehead.

Dil stood on the other side of the kitchen, not having noticed them yet, and had his arms wrapped around a boy's neck, who Suzie had never seen before. The black haired boy held him back, and their breathing was slightly labored, so there were few guesses now as to why no one had answered the door.

The boys hadn't seemed to notice them, and Suzie was ready to leave and forget about the entire thing, when suddenly Angela shrieked, making both the girl next to her and the boys jump with deer-caught-in-headlights expressions.

"Dil Pickles is gay?"

* * *

**Awww ;) they finally kissed ^^ but oh know, Angelica :O What will happen? I think this was the longest chapter yet... That's alright, cuz the next one is pretty short... so far... hehe. Soooo I hope you liked it! I told ya to watch the rating ;) But anyhows... I hope you enjoyed this and the previous chapters, and thanks again for reading and reviewing and favoriting, it makes me feel all happy inside :3 Alright then, thanks guys! Review and stuffs, see ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

**HURRAH! Finally finished! Haha just kidding :) This is the last chapter though, so yayy! ^^ I know this story was really short, and if I didn't have other stories pending and whatnot, it probably would have been longer, but for now, I'm satisfied with how it turned out :) I just hope you guys like it ^^ I was planning on holding off to upload this, but I'm ready to have it finished ^^ Sooooo here you go! Thanks for reading and reviewing, guys ;) Soo,**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Dil locked himself in his room. Tommy tried not to panic, but wasn't doing a very good job of it. Barnard was apologetic and somewhat scared. Phil was arrogant with his 'I told you so's'. Angelica was finally coming down from her initial shock, thanks to the embarrassed Suzie. Everyone but Dil sat in the kitchen, mulling over their thoughts, though many of them Tommy was sure were the same.

"So…" he started, looking at Barnard but gaining everyone's attention, "What exactly happened?" Everyone turned as Barnie shuffled a bit uncomfortably under their gazes.

"They just walked in, and he panicked—"

"No, I mean before that." Barnard's face grew bright red and he couldn't meet any of their gazes.

"Err, well… We were, um, talking, and he said he didn't know whether he was gay or not. I told him there was a way to tell, and if it was awkward he wasn't, and…" Everyone waited expectantly, and he shifted again, taking a deep breath.

"I… uh… kissed him." Kimi and Lil smiled at each other, thinking it was absolutely adorable, but Tommy's eyes narrowed.

"So you took advantage of my little brother's confusion so you could kiss him?" Barnard's head snapped up, his eyes wide, before meeting Tommy's glare evenly.

"No! I wouldn't do that," he stated, his green eyes boring into Tommy's, "I… like your brother. I wouldn't do that to anyone, especially him." The last part was mumbled, accompanied with more shuffling and another blush.

"Aww," Kimi, Lil, and Suzie swooned together, not helping the blush blooming on the slightly younger boy's cheeks. Tommy sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I know, but…" Barnie sent him a surprised, confused look, and it was Tommy's turn to look uncomfortable, "Err, I um, saw you two the other day on the porch…" Barnard's eyes widened spectacularly, and then he proceeded to hide his extremely red face behind his jacket, muttering something of an apology.

"But what about Dil?" Kimi cut in, wanting to make the boy a little less uncomfortable, "He's been up there a long time." Tommy sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know… I think he's just confused." Barnard dropped his collar and nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"He is. He's not sure, and the little, uh, incident, didn't exactly help. You should talk to him," he advised Tommy, who hesitated.

"Are you sure?" Barnard nodded.

"Yeah. I know it would have been a lot easier for me to, um, accept it if I'd had a family member who understood." The others blinked at him in surprise and confusion.

"What do you mean?" Chuckie asked the question on all of their minds. Barnard fiddled with his fingers.

"My family's very strict." That was all he said, and they left it at that.

"Well… I guess I'll go talk to him," he started, and then turned to Angelica with a harsh stare, "And if he comes down here, I don't want you saying anything about it, alright? And don't tell anyone. If he is gay, then it's his choice on when he wants people to know. Got it?" Angelica had pushed past her surprise and finally waved a hand airily.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it, I'm not tellin' anyone." When everyone looked in surprise, she held up her hands in surrender and shrugged.

"Hey, he's my family too, ya know. I'm not that heartless." Tommy smiled, surprisingly grateful, before leaving his friends and Barnard (and Angelica) in the kitchen, starting steadily up the steps. He reached Dil's door, which was sealed shut, and took a deep breath before knocking. There was a muffled reply from inside, and Tommy took that as an invitation and opened the door, stepping inside. Dil lay on his stomach on the bed, arms under a pillow and his chin buried in it. Tommy closed the door behind him and approached closer to see Dil's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concentration, two things Tommy didn't often see on his brother.

"Hey, bud," Tommy greeted, sitting in the chair at Dil's desk beside him, "How ya doin'?" Dil groaned and buried his face in the pillow in response. Tommy waited a bit, before Dil's muffled voice reached him and he was able to decipher the words.

"Angelica's gonna ruin my life." Tommy chuckled and shook his head, though he knew his brother couldn't see it.

"Actually, I don't think she is," he said. Dil's head perked up a bit, and he continued, "Everyone's waiting downstairs. They're worried about you." Dil sighed and lifted his head, settling his chin in his palm.

"Why would they be worried about me?" he asked, frowning. Tommy smiled.

"Come on, they're your friends, practically family. You just ran up here and we haven't seen you for hours." Dil shrugged a bit, and he met Tommy's eyes briefly before dropping them again.

"I'm just… confused, Tommy." The older boy's eyes softened and he leaned forward, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I know, Dil. And no one's going to say anything until you know for sure." Dil smiled gratefully and Tommy let his hand drop. It was silent for a bit before a mischievous smile crawled onto Tommy's face.

"You know… Barnard's still here, too." Dil's eyes widened and his face flushed with memories from just hours previously. He swallowed and glanced at his brother, who had fixed him with an amused smirk. This made Dil's blush grow, and Tommy's smile widen.

"So… apparently you two kissed," Tommy stated again, not being able to help himself. Dil's face was practically glowing, and Tommy burst out laughing, earning a glare and a pillow thrown at his face. Dil scowled a bit as Tommy's laughter started drifting away. The younger teen sat up, crossing his legs, and started picking at the threads of his covers, glancing at his brother from under his lashes.

"So you don't… you don't think that's… weird?" Tommy smiled.

"Dil, when have you ever been concerned about people thinking you're weird?" This caused Dil to grin a bit, but when it faded, Tommy sighed and leaned forward, forcing his brother to meet his eyes.

"Dil," he started, looking into his brother's eyes, "I don't care what you prefer. If being with someone makes you happy, go for it. That's all I want you to be is happy." Dil grinned and pulled his brother forward in a hug, and Tommy wrapped his arms around his little brother tightly.

"Thanks, bro." They held their position for a little longer before they pulled away and Tommy motioned to the door.

"C'mon, everyone's waiting for you."

* * *

It was extremely uncomfortable. The kitchen was quiet beside the awkward shuffling and shifting. Barnard was the most uncomfortable, having his secrets spilled to these people after barely knowing them, and now they knew he liked one of their friends, and had even been caught making it obvious. Kimi glanced at Lil, and they exchanged a look before Kimi spoke.

"Hey, Barnie, was it?" Barnard looked up from his corner in the kitchen expectantly and nodded. Kimi hesitated.

"When did you first know that you were… you know… gay? I mean, if you don't want to tell us, that's fine, I'm just curious—" Barnard shook his head, halting her rambling.

"It's fine," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "And you don't have to worry about saying gay in front of me. Or Dil, for that matter, if he…" Barnie trailed off before someone coughed, and he was jogged out of his thoughts, and a light pink brushed his cheeks at Kimi's knowing look.

"But it was probably about a year ago," he explained, tilting his head back against the wall as he contemplated, "I had always thought about it, you know, but around that time I really became sure that I wasn't attracted to girls."

"And… what about your family?" Lil cut in, unsure, "How did they handle it?" Barnard closed his eyes, and the others exchanged worried glances, wondering if they'd gone too far, before he spoke.

"Not… well," he finally forced out, tilting his head down, his dark bangs hanging in his face, "They don't exactly… understand. Even recently they try to talk to me about girls, and convince me that I'm not gay, that it's just a faze… They just don't want their son to be gay. I know they love me anyway, but I also know it's hard for them, and…" Barnard dropped off, and Suzie's eyes softened as Chuckie's eyes dropped and Phil fiddled quietly with a salt shaker. Barnard glanced at the others from under his lashes.

"But… whatever you do… Don't treat Dil differently, if he decides he doesn't like girls," he urged, "Because whatever he chooses, he's still the same person you guys have known for years. He talks about you guys all the time, and thinks of you like family. He doesn't need that to change. It wouldn't be fair for him to think it was his fault."

"We won't," Kimi swore, and the others hurried to agree.

"We promise," Lil added. Barnard nodded and gave a twitch of a smile before the kitchen door opened, and everyone's attention was drawn to the two that entered.

Dil swallowed once all the attention was on him and gave them a sheepish smile before turning to Barnard, who immediately pushed himself off the wall and took a small step forward. Dil met his green eyes and smiled a bit, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. Barnie cocked an eyebrow.

"So eavesdropping runs in the family." Dil's smile widened even more and Tommy give a helpless shrug and grin from where he'd already moved to stand next to Kimi. Barnie turned back to Dil, who was still observing him with a smile on his face. He raised an eyebrow again, and Dil's grin grew before suddenly he seized Barnie's jacket collar and pulled him down, clashing their lips together. Barnard's eyes widened considerably before drifted shut and he returned the kiss. It wasn't nearly as passionate as the other one and ended rather quickly, but as they pulled away and Barnard met Dil's eyes with the corner of his lip curling upwards, he knew it got the point across.

Dil wrapped an arm around the boy's waist and he did the same, pulling the boy to his side as the red head turned to the rest of the room, meeting gazes of surprise and amusement. Barnard's cheeks were painted pink, but Dil smiled his embarrassment away.

"So… turns out I'm gay," he said, before giving a shrug, "Who knew?" Out of no where, Phil suddenly jumped up, raising a hand.

"Oh, I did! I totally called it!" Dil blinked in surprise, and Lil giggled.

"Yeah, I figured it out after, though!"

"Me too," Chuckie agreed.

"I knew better than all of you, I practically had proof," Angelica said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. Suzie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You didn't bother holding it in at all after you found out, either."

"I guessed a while ago," Kimi said, shrugging. Tommy grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure whether to admit it or not, but I guess I knew all along." Surprisingly, beside Dil, Barnard nodded, too.

"I knew." Dil stuttered.

"W-Wha… Was I the only one who didn't know?" Everyone exchanged glances, and Phil shrugged.

"Pretty much." At Dil's exasperated expression, everyone laughed, and Dil saw for the first time a full smile break out on Barnard's face. He caught the slightly shorter boy looking and turned to meet his gaze. Dil grinned at him, and Barnard smiled back, pulling him a little closer to his side in a one-armed hug, which the other boy took no time in wrapping both of his arms around his torso. Tommy smiled at this and caught Barnard's eye. The black haired boy nodded respectively, and Tommy returned it with a grin.

Just then there was the faint sound of a car door shutting, but it caught everyone's attention. Everyone looked at the door and Dil groaned, gaining their attention, grimacing slightly.

"I forgot about Mom and Dad!"

* * *

**There ya have it! Finished! I know I left it a little open there, haha, but you can make your own assumptions of what happens ;) I doubt I'd make a sequel or simply continue this one, since I'm so busy with others, but maybe in the future... Perhaps... though I'd need more viewer encouragement for that ;) Alright well, I'm tired, so I'ma go to sleep now! Oh, and I just put a new story up for Bleach, so if you want to read it, you can go ahead and check it out :) Well then, hope you liked it! Bye!**


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